Missoula fishing and restaurants

J

JDPAPA

FNG
Joined
Aug 4, 2024
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North Eastern Maryland
Hello everyone,

Headed out to Missoula in a few days to do some fishing.
Been there many times but we have typically used guides for all of our fishing.
Any recommendations on areas to go or avoid?
Also and mom and pop types of restaurants, I HATE the Applebees’ types of places and that seems to be the most popular.

Any advice is appreciated.

Joe
 
I don't fish, but I do like food. Restaurants here are a mixed bag. Some things I can recommend: get burgers/sandwiches at the Double K and walk them over to the Dram shop south for a beer or wine. If you're downtown the same thing works, only Wally and Buck's for the burger (there are two dram shops). Gary's Local is a great onion burger out of a food truck. M80 hot chicken sandwiches in the parking lot of the Kettlehouse Taphouse. Union Club and Flippers both good bar burgers. Good pizza at the Highlander Brewery (sorry if you're not a drinker, this is just how it happens to be here). Bridge Pizza is good for a lunch slice. For fancier meals Port Rouge is good and Plonk and Pangea are perfectly acceptable. The Trough, Paul's Pancakes, or Ruby's for breakfast/brunch. Edited to add, the Oxford if you want a real classic 24/7/365 dive diner experience.
 
For sure. A few more out of town. I don't know where you'll fish, but if you go up the Blackfoot the Kettlehouse Amphitheater tap room is nice, if you make it to Ovando definitely hit Trixies, if you go up towards Lolo pass hit the Jack Saloon, and down in the Bitterroot just go to downtown Stevensville and see what looks good. Have a good time.
 
The only places I would add to the excellent list above (and the two places I miss the most since moving):

1) Biga Pizza - still the pizza we’ve ever had, bar none. Bob (owner and head chef) had his pizza oven brought in from Italy I believe. He nearly won guys grocery games and has gotten best pizza in Missoula almost every year. Get the prosciutto and fig, it will change your life.

2) Lolo steak house and distillery. Go early, go to the distillery first. Get the whiskey sour with huckleberry simple syrup. Then get a ride down to the steakhouse with their shuttle (a Polaris side by side). Then order a steak. It’s cooked on open flame grill at 600+ degrees.
 
I think I need to go back to Missoula. There used to be a bar, now gone, on the west side of Reserve Street that had some of the best chicken wings I ever ate, it was just about a 1/2 mile south of the interstate. Now there's a hotel there. I would always pull over in Missoula to eat on my way to/from Eastern MT at a number of the places mentioned above.
 
The absolute best combo was Imagination Brewery and the taco bus outside. Imagination sold and they are now clear out on the Airway Ext by the airport and Harley shop. Their beer was always the best in town. Their trademark was big, smoooth, double NEIPAs. Perfect. I have not gone out there since the change in ownership though.

The taco bus moved to the Myrtle Street tap house, which is Kettlehouse beer. That is a solid place to get beers and street tacos. Kettlehouse has some newer beers that are good.

It was said above. The Dram Shop downtown has a huge selection of beer and then you have dozens of choices for food within walking distance… in addition to what was said above, you have Zoo Thai, Tophat, Tom R Bar. I don’t think Conflux is worth going to. Highlander is off on its own off N Reserve St. and I personally don’t think they have a single beer worth paying for.

Go to Big Heads Bottleshop and Orange Street Food Farm. Trust me.
 
Me and the wife thought Pie Hole was pretty decent pizza, but its been quite a few years since we stopped in there for pizza so it could be different now.

We used to do the whole stay in town and commute to fish, but these days we like to camp on the water we're fishing to save on gas and time. Next time we're going through(in a few weeks actually) I'll be sure to stop into one of these places and check it out.

We're looking for another good breakfast spot in the general vicinity(Bitterroot Valley in general) since the other place we liked to go closed down for renovations(Ekstroms on Rock Creek - used to have GREAT breakfast but now under new owners so who knows).

OP - if you want some water suggestions PM me... I say this with the caveat that you do not share any waters I give you. I don't mind sharing some in a private environment to onesie-twosie people but I wouldn't share any of this publicly, or if it was going to be shared to a large number of people(if you have a YouTube channel dont bother lol).
 
If you make it down towards Hamilton they have a killer Thai place. About fifteen years ago I had one of the best days of fishing in my life on the East Fork of the Bitterroot.
 
wowzers said:
If you make it down towards Hamilton they have a killer Thai place. About fifteen years ago I had one of the best days of fishing in my life on the East Fork of the Bitterroot.
Click to expand...
A Thaiger… awesome. Big Creek Coffee is across the street too, went there about 4 hours ago. Then there’s obviously Naps for gigantic burgers.
 
NRA4LIFE said:
I think I need to go back to Missoula. There used to be a bar, now gone, on the west side of Reserve Street that had some of the best chicken wings I ever ate, it was just about a 1/2 mile south of the interstate. Now there's a hotel there. I would always pull over in Missoula to eat on my way to/from Eastern MT at a number of the places mentioned above.
Click to expand...
Don't know if it's related, but the Desperado is a great spot for wings (down in midtown though).
 
I love good coffee.
Last time I was in Missoula there was a new coffee shop that had just opened by the Blackfoot river outfitters that was just incredible.But I will make it a point to check out Big Creek Coffee!
 
Second post big list seems good, I avoid Missoula, but when I ran around chasing women the tamarack had good food bridge pizza is good
 
JDPAPA said:
I love good coffee.
Last time I was in Missoula there was a new coffee shop that had just opened by the Blackfoot river outfitters that was just incredible.But I will make it a point to check out Big Creek Coffee!
Click to expand...
That was the Missoula outpost of Big Creek, since closed. Black Coffee Co, Clyde, and Drum are good. Just down the way from where that used to be is Bayern Brewing / Edielweiss, which does very good traditional german beer and food.

I'll butt out now.
 
Breakfast or lunch at River City Grill in east Missoula/Bonner.

Already mentioned other breakfast joints The Trough and Paul's Pancake Parlor are very good too.

Elote Bar & Grill for Mexican (owners are actually a couple from Oaxaca). Some specials are traditional and regional.

Iron Horse downtown is pretty good, and the Dinosaur Cafe in the back of Charlie Bs bar has Walleye & Chips on Fridays in addition to Southern style food.
 
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